As circuit modules and integrated circuit packages and devices have become smaller, with shorter circuit traces and increased internal signal speeds, greater power density has resulted, causing increased heating of the devices and a need for improved heat sinking and better thermal management. Three methods are commonly employed for providing such thermal management. These methods are natural convection, which relies on air flow for cooling without any external forces applied to the air; forced convection where fans or blowers move air in a direction parallel to the surface of the element from which heat is being removed; and impingement cooling where the air is blown at the element to be cooled in a direction perpendicular to its surface.
Typically, heat sinks are provided with each of the three methods to improve the removal of heat from the element. While cooling fins or vanes have been employed for this purpose, cooling pins are preferably utilized with small elements, such as integrated circuits, because of their superior performance for a given volume.
Numerous pin-type heat sinks are currently on the market including many designed for use with integrated circuits. However, there are various problems unique to integrated circuits which are not fully addressed by existing devices. First, the heat generated by certain circuits may be greatest in particular locations. For this reason, it is advantageous to have a heat sink which allows different amounts of cooling in different regions. Even the heat generated within a particular circuit within a circuit module may vary.
Therefore providing a heat sink with variable cooling across its surface can be advantageous. Another problem with modules having an upper surface covered by heat sinking pins is that there may be little or no space in which to place an identifier such as a logo or other indicia thereon. The absence of projections such as pins or fins on a cooling surface would obviously provide less cooling surface area; heretofore the only known solution to the applicant was to place an identifier such as a logo on the flat surface in the from of a flat sticker.
It is an object of this invention to provide a solution to combining an identifier such as a logo, company name, or insignia, on a heat sink.
It is an object of this invention to provide a logo which offers heat sinking or cooling ability greater than that of the area of the base it covers.
It is an object of the invention to provide a heat sink for cooling an electronic component, wherein the heat sink has cooling pins or for example vane-like fins and a cooling logo.